KUALA LUMPUR: Airline operator Malindo Air has helped lift the profile of Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) as a transit hub among travellers, the Dewan Rakyat heard today.
Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Abdul Aziz Kaprawi said this followed the decision by Malindo Air to transfer its operations to KLIA from Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2), in May 2014.
He said Malindo Air had filled the extra space left by national carrier MAS when Malaysia Airlines Bhd (MAB) downsized its operations some years ago.
"The move by Malindo Air has helped KLIA to continue being the main transit hub regionally and internationally,” he said in reply to an additional query from Datuk Dr Abdul Latif Ahmad (BN-Mersing).
Dr Latif had asked why Malindo Air was allowed to operate from KLIA as this might jeopardise MAB, which in turn would be a loss to the government.
Aziz said in the downsizing exercise, MAS had terminated several flight routes and collaborations with international airlines.
“To fill the space left by MAS, international airline companies needed to find other local carriers for their passengers to have connecting flights.
"To overcome this, Malindo Air has agreed to fill in the role. This has resulted in international tourists choosing KLIA as a major transit hub in the region,” he said.
Aziz said as Malindo Air was a full-service airline, it was easier for travellers to get to their desired destinations as services provided were through collaborations with other airlines.
"Malindo Air has many advantages as they provide meals, baggage service and cabin entertainment which are all included in the fares.
"If there are no such services, travellers will prefer Singapore or Bangkok as their transit point before flying to another location," he said.